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ghostexorcist
05-11-2011, 08:49 PM
Years ago I had Kinkos print and bind a book I had downloaded from a university. It cost a whopping $45, and the binding agent was just a hard plastic spiral fed through holes punched in the spine. I swore I would never pay that much for such a crappy job ever again. Since then, I’ve been doing my own binding. If I happen to download enough related scholarly papers, I bind them into a book. That way I have them at reach when doing my own research. I also print out downloaded books from Google Books, or I copy physical books with my printer. I don’t do the latter very often because it is a little labor intensive, but it has saved me a lot of money. I figure there are some members here who might want to do this themselves, so I have decided to post some diagrams and instructions. Please keep in mind my method is for paperback books only. The paper size is the normal 8.5 x 11 in. computer paper, but smaller sizes work equally as well as long as it is pre-cut. Here is an example of the finished product, a book I printed out for my niece. It was the first time I had ever printed anything in color, It's usually just black and write.

http://img690.imageshack.us/img690/1268/bookcoverl.jpg
http://img38.imageshack.us/img38/6529/bookcover2x.jpg

This is much more than what is called for if you are just wanting to archive research papers. I'd rather have a book in my hands than stare at a computer screen for hours. The method I use produces a book that will last for a very long time. I once made a mistake when making a smaller pocket book version and had to pull it apart. It took A LOT of elbow grease to get the job done!

ghostexorcist
05-11-2011, 08:50 PM
Equipment

- Computer paper
- School glue
- Exacto blade (also known as a razor pen), paper cutter, or scissors
- Cutting mat (only for the exacto blade)
- Pencil or pen
- Ruler
- Packing tape or adhesive lamination film
- Heavy duty stapler
- Heavy duty staples (ONLY)
- Hammer
- Hard flat working surface

The kind of stapler I use is a Swingline Heavy Duty Stapler 39005 (http://www.amazon.com/Swingline-Deluxe-Heavy-Stapler-S7039005R/dp/B0006HUPU2/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top?tag=upsideout-20). I’ve seen them as cheap as $18 on Amazon. I purchased mine years ago for about $60, so that is a very good price. Only a heavy duty stapler like this can deliver the driving force to push the staples through hundreds of sheets of paper. It can use staples from 1/4 in (0.635 cm) to 3/4 in (1.905 cm). The 3/4 in staples are rated for up to 160 pages, but I know that I have gone over that before. Needless to say, you can fit a lot of information on the front and back of 160 pages. The most important thing about using the stapler is that you should ONLY USE THE SWINGLINE HEAVY DUTY STAPLES with the stapler. Normal staples are obviously not strong or big enough to go through thick stacks of paper. Even if you intend to use it to staple a couple of pieces of paper together, the Swingline will jam with regular staples. The regular size heavy duty staples are a little more expensive than the regular size light duty staples mostly sold in stores. It’s best just to use the Swingline for binding only. I have a separate stapler for smaller jobs. You can use any type of heavy duty stapler you want, just make sure you have the appropriate staples. I can't stress this enough.

Process

1. Stapling – I have no set method for making sure the paper is perfectly stacked straight. I usually just tap it up and down both length and width wise on a flat surface. The last time I bound something, I pushed the long edge up against a large flat box. The bottom wide edge was pushed up against the spine of a book. This worked out fine. The stapling surface is actually raised about 3/4 inches off the working surface, so you will need to find an object that is the same width. I usually place two books on either side of the stapler base. This will make sure the stack of paper remains flat and isn’t drooping over the edge.

http://img600.imageshack.us/img600/610/bookbindingpicture1.png

I staple the top, middle, and bottom of the stack, and then I fill in everything in between. Make sure you push down forcefully when stapling. Pushing slow limits the driving force and may not make it through the stack. Keep an eye on the straightness of your stack while you are doing this as well. Driving the first staple in the top can move the paper around. Just push it back straight (if it is needed) with your fingers.

http://img268.imageshack.us/img268/75/bookbindingpicture2.png

2. Hammering - Depending on the number of sheets you have and the size of staples you are using, you are going to have to hammer the curved ends of the staples flat on the back side.

http://img153.imageshack.us/img153/8876/bookbindingpicture3.png

When you hammer the staple prongs down, make sure you are working on a hard surface because they can come back out the other side. Also, make sure the surface is not important since the hard metal of the staples will leave indentations.

If you really don’t care what the finished product looks like, you can just stop here. But I would suggest going further because the next two steps make it durable and water resistant. It is important to note that repeated use in this state might even wear the paper around the staples and cause sheets to pull off.

ghostexorcist
05-11-2011, 08:50 PM
3. Cutting and gluing - This step gives the stapled mass the look of an actual book because paper is used to cover the stables and the spine of the stack. This covering also protects the paper around the staples, ensuring it doesn’t wear from repeated use and cause it to pull off. Take a piece of computer paper and overlap the staples on the front by a centimeter or so (the paper should cover all of the staples from top to bottom). Wrap the paper around the back and take note of where the areas overlapping the staples on both sides are in line with each other. Mark the spot with a pencil or pen. Take the ruler and measure the length from the edge of the paper to the mark. Mark the same length on the bottom of the paper. Align the two marks with the ruler and draw a straight line. Cut the strip out with a ruler and exacto blade, scissors, or a paper cutter. Remember that the strip should be long enough to cover all of the staples. If it is too short, you have the paper turned the wrong direction. You will need a total of three strips. The third should have the title and author’s last name (if you want to go this far). The way I do this is to turn the paper “landscape” style in the word processor I’m using. I decrease the borders to 0.5, and then I type the title in the far left and the author’s last name in the far right corners. Make sure the text is positioned far enough down so that you will have enough paper on the top and bottom to wrap around the spine of the book. Covering the staples in multiple strips will give it a smoother appearance. One layer looks bumpy because you can't hammer the staples flat enough. Well, you could but it would slice through the pages and they would fall off.

http://img19.imageshack.us/img19/5756/bookbindingpicture4.png

I recommend placing two overlapped pieces of computer paper down on your working surface to reduce the glue clean up. Lay your first strip across the paper. Apply a generous amount of glue and smear it over every single inch of the strip (I use my fingers), making sure to cover all of the edges. Take the first strip and apply it glue side down overlapping the staples on the front. Only overlap the staples as far as you did before when you were measuring to make the strips. Be sure to apply firm pressure to the three areas indicated below.

http://img851.imageshack.us/img851/1293/bookbindingpicture5.png

If you do not intend to laminate the cover, these are the three most likely areas to dry and separate from the cover if not properly adhered. The areas where the top and bottom areas are can “dog ear.” If you were to shove the book into a bag, objects could catch onto these and pull the strips off the spine. The areas in between the arrows need to be firmly pressed as well. When the front is firmly attached, turn the book over and apply gentle pulling pressure to ensure the part of the strip placed against the spine is tight. Apply pressure to the same areas. Do the same for the back of the book. Repeat this for the second strip of paper. I usually do them one after another to make sure they dry uniformly. The procedure for the third and final strip is a little different. I usually apply it to the spine first to ensure the title and author’s name is straight and centered. Then wrap the rest over the front and back like before. Let everything dry for a few hours.

http://img101.imageshack.us/img101/4994/bookbindingpicture6.png

4. Lamination – This step makes the cover durable and water resistant. It can also be the most nerve racking if you are a perfectionist! You can use either packing tape or adhesive lamination film. I’ve only used packing tape because I have an endless supply of it where I work. Adhesive lamination film might make the procedure easier in the long run, though. Start off by pulling out 7 or 8 pieces of tape that are longer than the cover. Apply the first piece to the spine like you did the paper strip in the above picture. It is important that you smooth it out with firm pressure to ensure it has a solid grip on the paper. I usually use the smooth, rounded edge of the school glue bottle to do this. There will be air bubbles and creases in the tape that form if you go to fast. The key is to go slowly. (The lamination film may solve these problems if you choose to use it.) Then place the second strip of tape over top of where the tape from the spine was wrapped around to the front. Smooth it out firmly with the glue bottle or some other hard smooth object. I made the spine of the book gray in the picture below to differentiate between tape and spine paper. Take the rest of the pieces of tape and overlap them according to the arrows below. Overlapping them will prevent gaps in the tape that water could get through to soil the cover. It also provides structural support to make the paper stouter. Remember to completely smooth out each piece of tape before moving to the next. Repeat this for both sides. You only need to put tape on the spine once. Then cut the excess tape from around the edges with scissors or an exacto blade.

http://img6.imageshack.us/img6/45/bookbindingpicture7.png

Of course, my way is not the only way to do it. I'm sure you could find tutorials elsewhere. I've never actually looked up how to do this, it just seemed like a natural conclusion. Staples are stronger than thread and glue (another method), and then the staples would need to be covered up. Voila! Let me know if you have any questions.

ghostexorcist
05-11-2011, 08:53 PM
I just got done binding this collection of research papers on Monkey. I just threw the cover together on MS Word.

http://img818.imageshack.us/img818/1872/dsc02024c.jpg

You could bind other things like drawings, or make a photo album. I know of a person who is going to do this to some out-of-print Alan Moore comic books they downloaded.